This invention relates to a modular bowling alley pit assembly and, more particularly, to the combination of a bowling pin elevator, ball return and modular pit assembly for transferring bowling pins and balls to the pin elevator and ball return.
Bowling pins and balls typically arrive in a pit area under considerable force and must be separated with the pins being fed to a pin elevating mechanism and thence to a pin distributor and spotter while the bowling balls are delivered to a ball return. For this reason, it is customary to provide a conveyor or travelling pit-wide apron as disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,526,401 of Zuercher. In such systems, a pit assembly includes a pit-wide belt which travels on a pair of parallel rollers. These rollers are transverse of the pit and mounted in a lower position thereof so that the top portion of the belt moves rearwardly and carries the fallen pins rearwardly to the pin elevating mechanism. This mechanism which is at the back of the pit carries or lifts the pins upwardly to a pin distribution system for delivery to a pin spotter.
The apparatus normally disposed in a bowling alley pit is designed to withstand considerable forces. Bowling balls and pins strike the pit assembly directly or bounce off the side walls or kick backs and fall onto the moving conveyor. The balls and pins frequently strike the front roller in the assembly, i.e., the roller which is immediately behind the pin deck. Because of the forces of the striking pins and balls, the front roller must withstand such forces and at the same time maintain proper alignment to avoid undue wear on the pit wide belt. To accomplish this, such rollers comprise a relatively complex and expensive split roller that provides limited lateral movement between the split portions. This lateral movement compensates for movement in the roller and tracking of the belt. Nevertheless, such rollers and belt assemblies require servicing, repair, realignment and at times replacement.
In most of the modern bowling centers, the alleys are disposed in a side by side arrangement with each pair of alleys separated by a ball return mechanism such as the one disclosed in my copending patent application now U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,582, entitled "Bowling Ball Lifting Apparatus" which issued on Dec. 31, 1991 and assigned to the same assignee, i.e., AMF Bowling, Inc. Such centers also incorporate pin elevating mechanisms at the rear of the pit assembly as well as a pin distributor system above the pit and an accompanying pin spotter above the pin deck. Consequently, there is very little room for making adjustments or repairs to the pit assembly. As a result, a pair of alleys may be taken out of service for a considerable time because of problems in the pit assembly area.
It has now been found that a modular pit assembly and combination of a modular pit assembly, pin elevator and ball return according to the present invention can overcome many of the problems associated with the frequency and length of time for repairs to a pit assembly. Such assemblies are also of less complex construction, provide for tracking adjustments from a remote area and incorporate a more durable front roller. The novel combination also includes a hingedly mounted pin elevating mechanism which further facilitates repairs to the pit assembly.